Revelstoke Mountain Resort is excited to announce the addition of an 11-acre terrain park for the 2015-16 season. Work is already underway clearing the park area which will run directly under the Stoke Chair.

When complete, the park will be nearly 450 metres long and 100 metres wide. Including more than 20 jib features, the park will also have a range of jumps that will be expanded throughout the season.

After getting great response to a ‘teaser park’ built last spring, Revelstoke Mountain Resort’s Vice President Peter Nielsen said this is the highly-anticipated next step.

“Our guests have been asking for a terrain park for quite some time, so we are really thrilled to have the resources and team in place to build a full-size progression park,” Nielsen explained.

“We are designing the park to appeal to a wide range of ages and abilities, and I think it is going to be a great addition to our winter offerings.”

Along with expanding the legendary groomed runs Revelstoke is known for, the Resort has also invested in increasing the existing grooming fleet to enable maintenance standards necessary for a high quality terrain park.

Due to compromised backcountry conditions, Red Bull Cold Rush will be cancelled in 2015. With safety as the major priority, the decision was made by event organizers to call off the freeski event.

“This event requires deep powder snow to be a success. Safety for athletes and delivering a premium, progressive ski contest are our ultimate goals for Red Bull Cold Rush. Unfortunately, conditions will not allow for either,” said Scott Jewett, National Event Manager.

As a world class ski event that showcases athletes in some of the most challenging natural backcountry terrain, the contest is ultimately at the mercy of nature. While Revelstoke Mountain Resort has terrific terrain and snow on resort, conditions in the remote backcountry regions unfortunately do not support the needs of the contest.

Red Bull Cold Rush is an important pillar of the Red Bull snow program that aims to offer the best and most progressive freeski action, and will return in the future when conditions permit.

Due to unstable conditions in the backcountry, Red Bull Cold Rush will be postponed until March 23-26 when it will make its Revelstoke Mountain Resort debut.

With safety as the major priority, the decision was made by event organizers to delay the contest.

“Recent warming has impacted our venues in remote areas of the mountain over the last few days. Safety for athletes and delivering a premium, progressive ski contest are our ultimate goals for Red Bull Cold Rush. Unfortunately, current conditions will not allow for either.” – Scott Jewett, National Event Manager for Red Bull Canada

As a world class ski event that showcases athletes in some of the most challenging natural backcountry terrain, the contest is ultimately at the mercy of nature and unseasonably warm temperatures have made current conditions less than ideal outside of the resort’s boundaries.

Revelstoke Mountain Resort is excited to welcome the athletes and the event to their mountain later in the season and are looking forward to an awesome event! See you in March Red Bull Cold Rush!

In the meantime, join us at Revelstoke Mountain Resort for epic skiing, amazing terrain, and the most snow in Canada! We are definitely still open (and you won’t regret experiencing the most vertical in North America)!

Invitations went out in early December to a select group of the top freeskiers around the world to meet in Revelstoke, BC for one of the biggest showdowns in the backcountry.

With Red Bull Cold Rush returning after a two year hiatus, athletes were quick to RSVP for a chance to take on a new mountain and claim a winning spot at the legendary contest. As an invitation only event, the 2015 athlete roster is stacked with some of the biggest names in the game featuring 15 male and 5 female competitors.

Being a multi-disciplinary event that fuses big mountain, cliffs, slopestyle, and touring, the competitors come from a diverse background. Athletes will be pushed well beyond their comfort zone in a contest that seeks to reward the most versatile all-around skier. Slopestyle skiers most comfortable with throwing big spins in the park will find themselves negotiating the steep alpine terrain and massive cliff drops of the upper area of Revelstoke Mountain Resort on Mount Mackenzie and traditional big mountain skiers will take on rails, kickers, and other custom built features. To help even the playing field, the contest will include a larger focus on ski touring allowing athletes to potentially recoup points lost in disciplines that are not their strong suit.

The view from the top of the Slopestyle venue for Red Bull Cold Rush 2015 in Revelstoke. Photographer Credit: Bryan Ralph / Red Bull Content

The brand new playing field at Revelstoke Mountain Resort features one of the most all-encompassing contest sites in freestyle skiing, offering an amphitheater of powder that hosts four distinct venues each catering to one of the specific contest disciplines.

Tasked with the job of preparing the venue is veteran builder/freestyle skier Riley Leboe (Vernon, BC) who has been building jumps for as long as he can remember. Of the four contest zones, it is the slopestyle venue that Leboe gets most excited about which will feature roughly eight or nine jump and step-downs where skiers will have a choice to hit three features at the top of the venue, mid mountain, or at the bottom.

“Athletes are going to have to nail three jumps in each line… it’s hard enough stomping one jump first try in the backcountry, so stomping three huge tricks out here is really going to show the level that freeskiing is at,” says Leboe. Beyond the built up kickers, the slopestyle course also comes equipped with some challenging natural terrain like wind lips and a step over that competitors can take advantage of, allowing them to pick their own unique lines on the slope.

Putting this all together takes a six-man crew a full week on the mountain constructing the features entirely by hand. As a competitor in the event himself, Leboe is the perfect candidate to oversee the design of the course, ensuring it is up to the safety and skill expectations of his fellow athletes. He isn’t merely building his own personal dream park as he relies on the close input of other competitors. Athletes Dane Tudor, Chris Rubens, and Tatum Monod have already made a trip to visit Leboe on the build site. Regardless of the competitive format, the close knit group of athletes supports one another to simply ski the best they possibly can.

After a two year hiatus, the biggest event in backcountry freeskiing returns to its roots. Fusing the disciplines of backcountry slopestyle, big mountain, cliffs and alpine ski touring, Red Bull Cold Rush will return to Canada from February 3-6 at Revelstoke Mountain Resort in British Columbia. The Red Bull Signature Series event will see a handful of the world’s premier skiers invited to battle it out for a chunk of the $36,000 prize purse awarded to the most versatile, well-rounded freeskiers.

The return of Red Bull Cold Rush means a blend of fresh powder and fresh ideas. Along with the new location in Revelstoke, the event is also being updated with fresh elements including innovative on-mountain features and a competition format that places a greater focus on alpine touring. But one thing remains the same: the peer-judged three-day competition will see athletes pushing one another to raise the bar of backcountry freeski progression.“Red Bull Cold Rush is the one and only top tier event that I, and all the other backcountry skiers, have to express our type of skills in a competition format. The fact that this amazing event is coming back to Canada just gets me all fired up! It’s where I spend my winter doing what we do, so I’ll be right at home this year” says Sean Pettit, professional backcountry freeskier and two-time winner of Red Bull Cold Rush in 2010 and 2011.

HISTORY OF RED BULL COLD RUSH

In an event that pits man against nature, nature always has the upper hand. Born and bred in Canada, the first ever Red Bull Cold Rush was set to take place in 2007 at Red Mountain in Rossland, BC, but Mother Nature had other ideas. Due to warm temperatures and a deep freeze that followed, the terrain was deemed unsafe to ski. When the event returned to the mountain in 2008, it was a skiers’ dream come true. Blue skies and deep snow greeted some of the best freeskiers in the world. Dave Treadway ended up at the top of the podium followed by Sean Pettit in 2nd and the late JP Auclair in 3rd.

In 2009 and 2010, the event moved to Retallack, BC pushing riders further and into new and challenging territory. A year later, Red Bull Cold Rush moved south of the border for the first US event held at Silverton, Colorado where it remained for a second year into 2012.REVELSTOKED! THE MOUNTAIN

Even in the powder-heaven that is the BC Interior, Revelstoke was a stand-out destination and obvious choice to play host for the return of Red Bull Cold Rush. Revelstoke Mountain Resort boasts the most vertical in North America at 5,620 ft. of lift accessed terrain, two alpine bowls and legendary glades. The only resort worldwide to offer lift, cat, heli and backcountry access from one village base, it has become a true ski mecca and synonymous with backcountry adventure.
>“This is the perfect event for us because it showcases all we have to offer – our diverse terrain, excellent conditions and all the challenging vertical and features they could event want” says Revelstoke Mountain Resort General Manager Rob Elliott.

On average, the mountain’s peak receives roughly 30-45 ft. of the fluffy stuff every year. For those in search of the white room, the high altitude and location in BC’s Interior Selkirk Mountains brings some of the most consistent quality snow in the region.

PEER PRESSURE: EVENT FORMAT

There’s nothing more important than impressing your friends, and that is exactly what the premier field of 15 men and 5 women will do throughout the peer-judged event as athletes aim to raise the bar of backcountry freestyle progression. Following each run, competitors will evaluate one another on performance basing scores on style, speed and technique.

Spread across three powder-laden days, the competition focuses on several distinct ski disciplines including backcountry slopestyle, big mountain, cliffs and alpine touring in order to find the best all-around freeskier. Each day of competition will focus on one specific discipline, with a new emphasis on the ski touring component that will see athletes traversing to different areas of the mountain in the shortest possible time. Athletes will now be able to accumulate more points through the touring portion, helping to offset potentially lower scores in other disciplines that might not be their strong suit.

Since 2007, Revelstoke Mountain Resort (RMR) has offered the most vertical in North America at 1,713 metres (5,620 ft.) of lift-accessed terrain, 3,121 acres of fall line skiing, 2 high alpine bowls, and 65 named runs including legendary glades and phenomenal groomers. Revelstoke Mountain Resort is also the only resort worldwide to offer lift, cat, heli and backcountry skiing from one village base. Across our group of companies that include RMR, Revelstoke Cat Skiing and Selkirk Tangiers Heli Skiing, skiers and snowboarders have access to a total of 515,000 acres of terrain. For all the latest news, visit www.revelstokemountainresort.com.

About The North Face

The North Face, a division of VF Outdoor, Inc., was founded in 1966 with the goal of preparing outdoor athletes for the rigors of their next adventure. Today we are the world’s leading outdoor brand, creating athlete-tested, expedition-proven products that help people explore and test the limits of human potential. We protect our outdoor playgrounds and minimize our impact on the planet through programs that encourage sustainability. The North Face products are available at premium and specialty retail sporting goods stores globally and we are headquartered in California on a LEED Platinum-certified campus. For more information, please visit www.thenorthface.com.

About The Red Bull Signature Series

The Red Bull Signature Series is the most progressive action sports property in the world, featuring best-in-class events such as Frozen Rush, Joyride, Rampage, Straight Rhythm, Mint 400 and Volcom Pipe Pro. These represent a collection of the most innovative snowboarding, skiing, surfing, mountain biking, skateboarding, motorsports and BMX events on custom courses inspired by the athltes themselves.